Enhancing Photovoltaic Efficiency through Engine Oil Coatings: A Comparative Analysis of New, Partially Used, and Degraded Oils

The efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems is significantly influenced by surface conditions, including contamination, which impairs light absorption and reduces overall power output. This study investigates the effects of coating a PV panel with Mobil engine oil in various states and compares the results with those of a clean reference panel. The experiments utilized a 300 mm x 200 mm PV panel with a nominal power rating of 10 W, coated with 0.2 liters of oil to ensure uniform coverage. The oil samples included new oil (O1), halfway-used oil (O2), and fully degraded oil (O3). Measurements of power output, temperature, and solar irradiance were recorded hourly from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The clean panel exhibited power outputs ranging from 9.02 W to 9.56 W. Coating with O1 resulted in the most significant enhancement, with power output increasing by up to 4.29% at peak irradiance (9.97 W at 2:00 PM). The O2 coating provided moderate improvements, with a maximum increase of 1.56% (9.68 W at 2:00 PM). Conversely, the degraded oil (O3) generally reduced power output, with a maximum decrease of 1.91% (9.23 W at 5:00 PM). The findings indicates that a uniform application of fresh Mobil oil can reduce light reflection and improve light absorption, enhancing PV panel performance. However, the benefits diminish as the oil degrades, underlining the importance of oil quality for sustained performance gains. 

[1] H. M. Usman, N. K. Sharma, D. K. Joshi, B. I. Sani, M. Mahmud, S. Saminu, and R. S. Auwal, "Optimization of grid-connected PV systems: Balancing economics and environmental sustainability in Nigeria," Buletin Ilmiah Sarjana Teknik Elektro, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 237–253, 2024.

[2] H. M. Usman, S. Saminu, and S. Ibrahim, "Harmonic Mitigation in Inverter Circuits Through Innovative LC Filter Design Using PSIM," J. Ilm. Teknol. Elektro Komput. Inf., vol. 10, 2024, Art. no. 28398. doi: 10.26555/jiteki.v10i1.28398.

[3] H. M. Usman, M. Mahmud, M. S. Yahaya, and S. Saminu, "Wind-Powered Agriculture: Enhancing Crop Production and Economic Prosperity in Arid Regions," Elektrika, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 10-19, 2024.

[4] M. Dida, S. Boughali, D. Bechki, and H. Bouguettaia, "Output power loss of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules due to dust accumulation in Saharan environment," Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 124, p. 109787, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2020.109787.

[5] I. Nayshevsky, Q. Xu, G. Barahman, and A. Lyons, "Fluoropolymer coatings for solar cover glass: Anti-soiling mechanisms in the presence of dew," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 206, p. 110281, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.110281.

[6] M. Rudnicka and E. Klugmann-Radziemska, "Soiling effect mitigation obtained by applying transparent thin-films on solar panels: Comparison of different types of coatings," Materials, vol. 14, 2021. doi: 10.3390/ma14040964.

[7] L. Jones, A. Law, G. Critchlow, and J. Walls, "Comparing fluorinated and non-fluorinated anti-soiling coatings for solar panel cover glass," in 2022 IEEE 49th Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2022, pp. 683–683. doi: 10.1109/pvsc48317.2022.9938738.

[8] A. H. Al-Waeli, M. T. Chaichan, H. A. Kazem, K. Sopian, A. Ibrahim, S. Mat, and M. H. Ruslan, "Comparison study of indoor/outdoor experiments of a photovoltaic thermal PV/T system containing SiC nanofluid as a coolant," Energy, vol. 151, pp. 33–44, 2018.

[9] Z. Song, J. Liu, and H. Yang, "Air pollution and soiling implications for solar photovoltaic power generation: A comprehensive review," Appl. Energy, vol. 298, p. 117247, 2021.

[10] Q. Gu, S. Li, W. Gong, B. Ning, C. Hu, and Z. Liao, "L-SHADE with parameter decomposition for photovoltaic modules parameter identification under different temperature and irradiance," Appl. Soft Comput., vol. 143, p. 110386, 2023.

[11] M. R. Gomaa, M. Ahmed, and H. Rezk, "Temperature distribution modeling of PV and cooling water PV/T collectors through thin and thick cooling cross-fined channel box," Energy Rep., vol. 8, pp. 1144–1153, 2022.

[12] C. O. Rus?nescu, M. Rus?nescu, I. A. Istrate, G. A. Constantin, and M. Begea, "The effect of dust deposition on the performance of photovoltaic panels," Energies, vol. 16, p. 6794, 2023.

[13] Q. Gu, S. Li, W. Gong, B. Ning, C. Hu, and Z. Liao, "L-SHADE with parameter decomposition for photovoltaic modules parameter identification under different temperature and irradiance," Appl. Soft Comput., vol. 143, p. 110386, 2023.

[14] M. R. Gomaa, M. Ahmed, and H. Rezk, "Temperature distribution modeling of PV and cooling water PV/T collectors through thin and thick cooling cross-fined channel box," Energy Rep., vol. 8, pp. 1144–1153, 2022.

[15] C. O. Rus?nescu, M. Rus?nescu, I. A. Istrate, G. A. Constantin, and M. Begea, "The effect of dust deposition on the performance of photovoltaic panels," Energies, vol. 16, p. 6794, 2023.

[16] T. Khatib, H. Kazem, K. Sopian, F. Buttinger, W. Elmenreich, and A. S. Albusaidi, "Effect of dust deposition on the performance of multi-crystalline photovoltaic modules based on experimental measurements," Int. J. Renew. Energy Res., vol. 3, pp. 850–853, 2013.

[17] S. A. Kalogirou, R. Agathokleous, and G. Panayiotou, "On-site PV characterization and the effect of soiling on their performance," Energy, vol. 51, pp. 439–446, 2013.

[18] L. Boyle, H. Flinchpaugh, and M. P. Hannigan, "Natural soiling of photovoltaic cover plates and the impact on transmission," Renew. Energy, vol. 77, pp. 166–173, 2015.

[19] B. Laarabi, Y. El Baqqal, A. Dahrouch, and A. Barhdadi, "Deep analysis of soiling effect on glass transmittance of PV modules in seven sites in Morocco," Energy, vol. 213, p. 118811, 2020.

[20] H. A. Kazem, T. Khatib, K. Sopian, and W. Elmenreich, "Performance and feasibility assessment of a 1.4 kW roof top grid-connected photovoltaic power system under desertic weather conditions," Energy Build., vol. 82, pp. 123–129, 2014.

[21] S. A. Said and H. M. Walwil, "Fundamental studies on dust fouling effects on PV module performance," Sol. Energy, vol. 107, pp. 328–337, 2014.

[22] B. R. Paudyal and S. R. Shakya, "Dust accumulation effects on efficiency of solar PV modules for off-grid purpose: A case study of Kathmandu," Sol. Energy, vol. 135, pp. 103–110, 2016.

[23] M. Senger, A. Kefayati, A. Bertoni, V. Perebeinos, and E. Minot, "Dielectric Engineering Boosts the Efficiency of Carbon Nanotube Photodiodes," ACS Nano, 2021. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.1c02940.

[24] M. Pan et al., "Modulating surface interactions for regenerable separation of oil-in-water emulsions," J. Membr. Sci., vol. 625, p. 119140, 2021. doi: 10.1016/J.MEMSCI.2021.119140.

[25] R. Mustafa, M. Gomaa, M. Al-Dhaifallah, and H. Rezk, "Environmental Impacts on the Performance of Solar Photovoltaic Systems," Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 6, p. 608, 2020. doi: 10.3390/su12020608.

[26] M. Mani and R. Pillai, "Impact of dust on solar photovoltaic (PV) performance: research status, challenges and recommendations," Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 14, no. 9, pp. 3124-3131, 2010.

[27] H. Bacosa et al., "From Surface Water to the Deep Sea: A Review on Factors Affecting the Biodegradation of Spilled Oil in Marine Environment," J. Mar. Sci. Eng., 2022. doi: 10.3390/jmse10030426.

[28] M. J. Adinoyi and S. A. Said, "Effect of dust accumulation on the power outputs of solar photovoltaic modules," Renew. Energy, vol. 60, pp. 633-636, 2013.

[29] L. Cristaldi et al., "Economical evaluation of PV system losses due to the dust and pollution," in 2012 IEEE Int. Instrum. Meas. Technol. Conf. Proc., 2012, pp. 614-618. doi: 10.1109/I2MTC.2012.6229521.

[30] S. Sanjeev and J. Jayaraman, "Impact of partial shading on the performance of solar PV system," Int. J. Adv. Res. Electr. Electron. Instrum. Eng., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 374-380, 2015.

[31] R. Pareek, M. Kumbhare, C. Mukherjee, A. Joshi, and P. Gupta, "Effect of oil vapor contamination on the performance of porous silica sol-gel antireflection-coated optics in vacuum spatial filters of high-power neodymium glass laser," Opt. Eng., vol. 47, 2008, Art. no. 023801. doi: 10.1117/1.2844551.

[32] N. D?rr et al., "Correlation Between Engine Oil Degradation, Tribochemistry, and Tribological Behavior with Focus on ZDDP Deterioration," Tribol. Lett., vol. 67, pp. 1-17, 2019. doi: 10.1007/s11249-019-1176-5.

[33] M. Al-Housani, Y. Bicer, and M. Koç, "Assessment of various dry photovoltaic cleaning techniques and frequencies on the power output of CdTe-type modules in dusty environments," Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 10, p. 2850, 2019.

[34] R. Abdallah, E. Natsheh, A. Juaidi, S. Samara, and F. Manzano-Agugliaro, "A Multi-Level World Comprehensive Neural Network Model for Maximum Annual Solar Irradiation on a Flat Surface," Energies, 2020. doi: 10.3390/en13236422.

[35] "Mobil 1™ 5W-30," Mobil, Available: https://www.mobil.co.in/en-in/our-products/oil-lubricants/mobil-1-5w-30

[36] T. Sarver, A. Al-Qaraghuli, and L. L. Kazmerski, "A comprehensive review of the impact of dust on the use of solar energy: History, investigations, results, literature, and mitigation approaches," Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 22, pp. 698-733.